The present invention relates to fishing in general, and more specifically to a method of outfitting a boat with a system of hardware for holding fishing poles and other fishing items in desired positions, as well as to the configuration and assembled relationship of the various items of hardware.
Sport fishing boats are often provided with a type of holder for the base of fishing rods or poles which includes a hollow, tubular portion welded to a base. When a plurality of rods, together with other items such as planer boards, reels and pulleys for attachment of planer board line, outriggers, etc., is to be mounted on the boat, the common practice is to construct an inverted U-shaped frame to match the dimensions of the boat so that the ends of the two frame legs may be attached, e.g., by bolts and mounting plates, directly to the boat on each side. The rod holders are normally welded to or otherwise integral with the vertical and horizontal portions of the frame and are therefore not adjustable in position with respect to the frame or the boat. Since dimensions at the positions of frame attachment vary from boat to boat, this requires that the frame and hardware associated therewith be essentially custom made for each individual boat which is, in fact, a common practice.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a collection of hardware for use in a boat-mountable system of support frame, rod holders and, if desired, other items of fishing tackle and the like, and method of assembling the hardware which permits use of the system with boats of different dimensions.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved support frame and associated hardware which can quickly and easily be adapted for use on fishing boats of different dimensions at the position of frame attachment.
A further object is to provide a method of dimensionally modifying and assembling a support frame and system of rod holders, and the like, for mounting on a fishing boat of any dimensions, within a predetermined range, at the position of frame mounting.
Still another object is to provide a novel and versatile assemblage of interconnected hardware mountable upon a fishing boat for holding an array of fishing rods in spaced relation with a wide degree of selective adjustment of the holding components relative to a support frame.
Other objects will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.